| Nicholls Colonels football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
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| First season | 1972; 53 years ago | ||
| Athletic director | Jonathan Terrell | ||
| Head coach | Tommy Rybacki 1st season, 4–8 (.333) | ||
| Stadium | Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium (capacity: 10,500) | ||
| Location | Thibodaux, Louisiana | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Southland Conference | ||
| All-time record | 231–317–4 (.422) | ||
| Playoff appearances | |||
| Div. I-AA/FCS: 7 (1986,1996,2005,2017,2018,2019,2023) | |||
| Conference titles | |||
| GSC: 1 (1975) Gulf Star: 1 (1984) Southland: 4 (2005,2018,2019,2023) | |||
| Consensus All-Americans | 15 | ||
| Rivalries | Southeastern Louisiana (rivalry) Northwestern State (rivalry) Texas State (rivalry) | ||
| Colors | Red and gray[1] | ||
| Fight song | Nicholls State Colonels Fight Song | ||
| Mascot | Colonel Tillou | ||
| Marching band | Pride of Nicholls Marching Band | ||
| Website | GeauxColonels.com | ||
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TheNicholls Colonels football program is the intercollegiateAmerican football team forNicholls State University located inThibodaux, Louisiana, United States.[2][3] The team competes in theNCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of theSouthland Conference.[4][5] Nicholls' first football team was fielded in 1972. The team plays its home games at the 10,500 seatManning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium inThibodaux,Louisiana. The Colonels are coached byTommy Rybacki.[6]
Source:[7]
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*1996 I-AA National Coach of the Year,Eddie Robinson Award Recipient
**Interim head coach for final nine games of 2014 season
The Colonels have qualified for the Division I-AA/FCS playoffs seven times, with a combined record of 3–7.
| Year | Round | Classification | Opponent | Result | Game Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | First Round Quarterfinals | NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs | Appalachian State Georgia Southern | W 28–26 L 31–55 | (Grantland Rice Bowl) |
| 1996 | First Round | NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs | Montana | L 3–48 | |
| 2005 | First Round | NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs | Furman | L 12–14 | |
| 2017 | First Round | NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs | South Dakota | L 31–38 | |
| 2018 | First Round Second Round | NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs | San Diego Eastern Washington | W 49–30 L 21–42 | |
| 2019 | First Round Second Round | NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs | North Dakota North Dakota State | W 24–6 L 13–37 | |
| 2023 | First Round | NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs | Southern Illinois | L 0–35 |
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Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium is a 10,500-seatmulti-purpose stadium inThibodaux, Louisiana.[8] It is home to the Nicholls Colonels football team of theSouthland Conference in theFootball Championship Subdivision (FCS). Thestadium is named in honor of former state representative John L. Guidry. Theplaying surface is named Manning Field after theManning family (Peyton,Eli,Cooper andArchie) because the family holds the annualManning Passing Academy football camp at the facility.[9] The current playing surface is GeoGreen Replicated Grass.[10]
On June 12, 2019, Nicholls announced a new $6.5 million, 20,000-square-foot football operations center will be built in the south end zone along with an expansion and renovation of theFrank L. Barker Athletic Building.[11][12] The football team moved from the Barker Athletic Building to the Boucvault Athletic Complex for the start of the 2020 Nicholls Football season.[11][12]
TheBoucvault Athletic Complex is located at the south end zone of Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium.[13] The facility includes football offices, team locker rooms, training rooms, and a team meeting hall with a seating area for fans overlooking the field.[13][14]
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TheGaubert Oil Practice Facility at Shaw Sports Turf/Manning Field is a covered 100-yard turf field and also includes office and storage space for the team. It is located directly behind the Boucvault Athletic Complex and Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium.[15][16][17] In a partnership between Nicholls Colonels football, theManning Passing Academy and Shaw Sports Turf, an artificial turf field was installed at the facility.[18]
The Nicholls ColonelsStrength andConditioning facility is located in theLeonard C. Chabert Strength and Conditioning Facility or Leonard C. Chabert Hall.[11] The facility has multi-purpose power stations, weight machines, dumbbell stations, elliptical machines and stationary bikes. It is the strength and conditioning facility and nutrition center for Nicholls athletics.[11]
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TheFrank L. Barker Athletic Building or Barker Hall is located adjacent toManning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium. It houses theNicholls Colonelsfootballcoaches’ offices,locker rooms,meeting rooms,athletic training rooms and athletic staff.[11][14] TheNicholls AthleticsHall of Fame is also located in the building.[11]
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The originalNicholls Colonels football practice fields included three naturalgrass football practice fields and was located across Acadia Drive fromManning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium, the Frank L. Barker Athletic Building and the Leonard C. Chabert Strength and Conditioning Facility.[19] Two of the fields faced in a north–south configuration similar to Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium with a third that faced in an east–west configuration.
Nicholls andSoutheastern Louisiana are located 94 miles apart and no two football-playing schools in theSouthland Conference are as close as the two schools. The winner of the annualfootballgame is awarded theRiver Bell Trophy. The trophy features a river bell, the teams athletic logos and details the yearly victors. The game played between therivals began in 1972 and was played annually until 1985 whenSoutheastern Louisiana dropped its football program. It resumed 20 years later in 2005 when football was reinstated by the university.
The football rivalry game withNorthwestern State is played annually with the winner being awarded theNSU Trophy. Both universities are located in Louisiana and are members of theSouthland Conference. The first game in the series was played in 1973.
In fall 1998, the Colonels were scheduled to take on theTexas State Bobcats. Prior to the game, heavy rains floodedSan Marcos, Texas and the playing field at Texas State. Athletic directors and coaches from both schools decided to postpone the game and coined the annual contest the "Battle for the Paddle," joking that fans and athletes needed to use aboat andpaddle to get to thegame. Thegame was eventually played on November 28, 1998, withTexas State prevailing 28–27 to win the first "Battle for the Paddle". A wooden oar or paddle named the "Paddle Trophy" was awarded to the winner of the contest.
Announced non-conference opponents as of July 7, 2025.[20]
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| atTroy | atKansas State | atLouisiana Tech |
| West Georgia | atSam Houston | Southern |
| atTexas State | atTulane | |
| atEastern Kentucky |
The Colonels are broadcast on ESPN+.
